Tribute to Chantry teacher and Suffolk cricketer Bob Cunnell

He led Suffolk to Minor County Championship successes in 1977 and 1979 after play-offs with Durham at Ransomes Sports Ground.

On his retirement at Chantry High School in 2002 after 39 years on the staff he was awarded a BT Teacher award for Lifetime Achievement in a ceremony at Homerton College in Cambridge.

He had been unwell with Parkinson’s Disease in recent years.

Suffolk’s cricketing heirarchy in the late seventies line up behind the Minor Counties pennant with Suffolk captain Bob Cunnell (white sweater) centre. From left Martin Corke, Brian Belle, Cyril Perkins, Bob Cunnell, Herbert Hargreaves, Norman Stevens and Martin Crannis. (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

From L-R , Brian Hamer, John Steward, Phil Drakard, Keith Bishop, Steve Long, Tony Warrington, Roger Howlett, Bob Cunnell, Dickie English and Stuart Westley (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

Suffolk under Cunnell played an adventurous brand of cricket. In days when many two-day games ended in draws, Suffolk was happy to hand back a first day advantage to keep their opponents with a realistic chance of winning thus keeping the game alive.

An extract from a letter he received on his retirement summed up his philosophy.

“I had a ‘heart attack’ when you clapped your hands and called out batsmen in apparently handing the match to the other side on a plate only to take it away from them at the death.”

Suffolk played without fear. Players knew their places in the team were secure, a philosophy adopted by the England Test team under Ben Stokes.

An off-break bowler and middle order batsman, Bob’s first big match was against Kent in the Gillette Cup at Ipswich School in April 1966.

Bob Cunnell leads out the Suffolk team for a match at the Victory Ground, Bury St Edmunds, a venue which still hosts Minor Counties matches. (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

He caught Colin Cowdrey off the bowling of Dick English and then dismissed Stuart Leary, caught by his late brother Cliff. He had figures of one for 28 in three overs of off breaks. He batted at number five and scored 40 but Kent won by 113 runs.

Twelve years later Suffolk was drawn to play Sussex at Hove but went down by six wickets. In the following year, after beating Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe, Suffolk were at Hove again. This time they should have won.

Suffolk set a target of 158, Cunnell retiring hurt with 12 after being hit in the mouth by Imran Khan.

Suffolk won the Minor Counties pennant in 1977 after holding Durham in the play-off match at Ransomes. From left: Paul Slatter (Buckingham secretary representing Minor Counties). Durham captain Brian Lander, Richard Done, Richard Robinson, Suffolk captain Bob Cunnell, John Stuck (holding pennant) and Peter Jones. (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

Sussex slipped to 113 for seven. Imran Khan, the former president of Pakistan, edged the ball to wicket-keeper Stuart Westley but was given not out. The experienced Test cricketer went on to steer Sussex to a two-wicket victory.

Suffolk players leave the field, preceded by the Durham batsmen, after securing the draw needed to claim the Minor Counties pennant in 1979. Wicket-keeper John Stuck in in the foreground with Suffolk captain Bob Cunnell behind him. Timur Mohamed, Roger Howlett and Richard Robinson are in the centre with Tony Warrington (extreme right). (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

The following season, 1980, Suffolk was drawn at Hove for a third time but Cunnell missed the match with a knee injury which ended his county career.

He was a regular in Suffolk’s team in the Minor Counties Championship for 18 seasons. The only times he missed matches were when the term at Chantry High School had not finished.

He made his debut at Lincoln in 1960 and went on to have 262 innings during which he scored 5376 runs. His only century came against Norfolk at Denes Oval in Lowestoft in 1962. His batting average was 26.10. He took 243 wickets.

His best figures were against a Norfolk side captained by Tracey Moore at Lowestoft in 1971.

In the first innings he took five for 17. When Norfolk followed-on they put on 55 in an opening stand but were all out for 88. Cunnell had figures of eight for 14 in 14 overs 10 of which were maidens. Suffolk won by an innings and 85 runs.  Dick English scored 119.

Cunnell played under Martin Corke, Ian Prior and Cliff Piper before being appointed captain in 1973.

Bob Cunnell (centre left) is consider Suffolk's most successful county cricket captain. (Image: Supplied by Tony Garnett)

Previously he had occasional experiences as vice-captain. That include the match in which fast bowler Ted Phillips bowled the first ball of the day with a red apple against Nottinghamshire second team’s Alan Gill at the Boots Ground in Nottingham.

This incident, which was reported to Lord’s by the umpires, was mentioned in the obituary for Phillips that appeared in Wisden. Phillips never played for Suffolk again.

In 1973 Cunnell led Suffolk in a prestigious two-day match against All Holland at The Hague. The following year the Dutch national team played at Felixstowe. Both matches were drawn.

Overseas players in his teams in the late seventies included Timur Mohamed, the Young West Indies captain at the same time as David Gower captained Young England.

Timur scored five centuries for Suffolk in 1979 season. Opening bowler Richard Done from New South Wales combined with Colin Rutterford for a formidable new ball attack.

The arrival of England leg spinner Robin Hobbs from Essex provided Suffolk with another match winner. When Hobbs went on to captain Glamorgan he said he thought Suffolk had a stronger team.

It was a side comprising mainly of Suffolk-born players like Tony Warrington, Roger Howlett, Richard Robinson, Simon Clements and John Stuck with Framlingham College housemaster and Oxford Blue Stuart Westley as a quality wicket-keeper.

Peter Jones, the former Kent all-rounder, was also a key man although he did not always seem comfortable with Cunnell’s adventurous tactics.

In 1975 Suffolk reached the final of the inaugural National Cricket Association Cup after knocking out Leicestershire, Northants and Sussex.

In the final Cunnell led Suffolk to victory against Shropshire at the Griff and Coton ground in Nuneaton by six runs.

The Shropshire team included left-handed batsman Andy Lloyd who went on to play for Warwickshire and England.

A highlight of Cunnell’s career was a two-day prestige match between Suffolk and All Holland in The Hague. There was a return at Felixstowe the following year.

Cunnell played his club cricket first for Browns but later for Saxmundham whose fixture list included leading clubs in Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk.

Bob Cunnell was a member of Chantry High School for almost four decades. (Image: Supplied by family)

Many former Chantry pupils are sure to remember him fondly judging by the letters he received on his retirement. He started his career teaching PE and French then switched to mathematics. He ended as Head of Upper School.

He coached the Chantry boys’ basketball team which became runners-up in the English Schools’ finals.

The Chantry girls he coached went on to become the Ipswich Bobcats, coached by Derek Howes.

They went on to become inaugural members of the first women’s national league set-up that included an England player and several England trialists.

Among the boys at Chantry School was Jason Dozzell who made his debut for Ipswich Town at the age of 16 years and 57 days in February 1984.

Jason Dozell was among the students taught by Bob Cunnell (Image: Archant)

Bob and Jennie met at Avery Hill teaching training college in Greenwich and were married at North Ferriby in 1966.

He was son of Ted and Ruby Cunnell. Ted captained Browns' cricket team and was a Rushmere Golf Club member.

His brother Cliff, also a Suffolk county cricketer, died in 2016. His widow Jennie, sister Wendy, son Nick and daughter Sophie and grand-daughter Julia-Ann survive him.

The funeral will be at Seven Hills Crematorium on Thursday, February 16 at 11.15am. Donations in support of Parkinson’s UK can be made via robertcunnell.muchloved.com